Although some would say my musical tastes are fairly straight-forward and easy to guess, I’d suggest that within some broad boundaries, I tend to like almost everything. And this is especially true when it comes to live music. In general, if a band has energy and fun in its set, I’m inclined to be lenient and enjoy the music.

How is this relevant you say? Well of the three bands playing at The Star Bar this night, I’m not a big fan of any of their recordings (admittedly I haven’t heard anything by The Ed Kemper Trio), but I really enjoy their live sets.

The first band up was The Ed Kemper Trio, a three piece from Montgomery, Alabama. Once they began to play, their angular hard rock reminded me of the Dead Kennedys meets something. At first I thought Fugazi, but that’s so trite, and doesn’t really tell you anything. Then, later on, the guitar distortion hit me upside the head and I suddenly thought: this is sort of like Sonic Youth. I don’t like Sonic Youth, but this amalgamation of hard guitars, bass, and drums worked for me. Of course, the simple fact that all three band members are great musicians really helped, and I suspect less talent would have made the genre less enjoyable. Either way, I really liked this band, and I felt that the crowd’s tepid reception didn’t do them justice.

Afterwards, the most popular of the bands this evening -- The Young Antiques -- played. Some Minions are really big fans of this band, but I’m not. That’s not to say they’re a bad band; in fact they’re rather talented and quite accessible (if one judges by the large numbers of fans they draw). I just find something missing in the music; I can’t quite tell you what it is, but for some reason The Young Antiques just don’t connect with me.

However, this live show was something else entirely. Filled with energy and drive, their older songs were pulled along by a newfound energy that gave the music extra pep, and kicked it up a notch. Furthermore, in the past when they’ve debuted new music, it has seemed somewhat slow paced and hesitant. Instead, on this evening the trio attacked every song, moving forward without breaks or pauses. As their too short set ended, I was very pleased and looked forward to seeing them live again.

Now, I really want to like The Close. Their indie rock/garage/dance band sound is pretty much right down my musical alley. In fact the couple of times I‘ve seen them in concert, I’ve really enjoyed their sets; however, I have their self titled debut album, and it does nothing for me.

As usual, though, I liked this night's live performance a lot, even though it seemed like the keyboardist sang and played less than she had previously. Even without her, the band drove forward, propelled by the vocals and by the bassist. At their best, The Close reminds me of the late, lamented Kiss Offs, with the interplay of male and female vocals over keyboards and guitars. Even then, they don’t have the passion and fire of that other band. At other times, however, they remind me more of early Verbena, a band in which the female voice isn’t as dominant and the vocals have a slight whine to them. Still it all works in a live setting. And I think they put on a great show to a small crowd, and like both previous bands, I want to see them again.

All in all it was a good solid evening at The Star Bar. Even though the bill didn’t seem like the most coherent one, all the bands sounded good, and it even seemed like everyone on the stage was having a good (if not spectacular) time.

None available.